Location
Kellog Biological Station LTER
Research Topics:
Ecological interactions underlying the productivity and environmental impact of production-level cropping systems; patterns, causes, and consequences of microbial, plant, and insect diversity in agricultural landscapes; gene transfer, community dynamics Read More
Description:
The Kellogg Biological Station (KBS) is located in southwest Michigan in the eastern portion of the U.S. cornbelt, 50 km east of Lake Michigan in the SW corner of the state (42° 24' N, 85° 24' W, elevation 288 m). Annual rainfall at KBS averages 890 mm y-1 with about half falling as snow; potential evapotranspiration (PET) exceeds precipitation for about 4 months of the year. Mean annual temperature is 9.7° C.
History:
Land use around KBS ranges from urban (Kalamazoo, with a metropolitan population of 160,000 is 20 km south of the Station) to rural; vegetation ranges from cultivated and early successional old fields to older growth oak-hickory and beech-maple forests; and aquatic habitats include more than 200 bodies of water of different morphometries, alkalinities, and degrees of eutrophication within 50 km. Cropping systems in the area are typical of the U.S. cornbelt -- mainly corn/soybean rotations with wheat of varying importance, and alfalfa an important forage crop. KBS yields are typical of yields elsewhere in the North Central Region.